The United States deployed a Navy destroyer to an area off the coast of Yemen to protect other vessels from Houthi militants aligned with Iran, officials told Reuters on Friday.
The USS Cole was sent to the Bab al-Mandab Strait off southwestern Yemen for patrols, which entails escorting vessels around the waterway, officials told the news agency.
Back in 2000, the USS Cole was attacked in the Gulf of Aden by al-Qaeda bombers who used a boat filled with explosives, killing 17 U.S. sailors and injuring dozens more.
Iranian Defense Ministry via AP
